O'Fallon committee reviews citywide path and greenway projects, flags edge cases with Cottleville

At a recent City of O'Fallon committee meeting, Chris Clerks, the city's capital improvements manager, updated members on planned and underway path and greenway projects across the city, saying the work is intended to improve connectivity between neighborhoods, subdivisions and regional corridors.

Clerks said the Lake Saint Louis Boulevard extension includes a planned 10-foot shared-use path that is currently in design, while Weldon Springs Road improvements completed this year included a new 10-foot shared-use path connecting into the Valley Brook Drive subdivision. "We have a good connectivity there," Clerks said, describing the Weldon Springs installation as a completed link in the system. He said Main Street Phase 1 (Pittman to the railroad tracks) installed a decorative 10-foot corridor (with a walking surface closer to 8 feet) and that Main Street Phase 2 design is underway with construction expected in 2026 and Phase 3 to extend to Saint Joe.

Clerks described Deer Road reconstruction (phases 1 and 2) as including 10-foot shared-use paths that will tie to Hopewell Road improvements; he said Deer Road Phase 1 construction has been pushed to 2027 to accommodate the county's Hopewell project. The Darden Greenway connector (off I-64) is in construction, and the removed technology bridge is being rebuilt in coordination with MoDOT, Clerks said. The Sports Park Darden Greenway is in design and is planned to move into construction next year.

The committee learned the city secured federal funding for Mexico Road Phase 1 (from Knaust to Barrington Drive) which will resurface the roadway and upgrade the adjacent path to bring it closer to compliance. Clerks said the north side of that corridor currently lacks a sidewalk and the city intends to add pedestrian facilities where homes and requests exist. He added that Bridal Road pavement preservation (federal and county funded) will widen many existing path segments to 10 feet where right-of-way permits and will use an 8-foot width only in constrained areas near retaining walls at the Mexico intersection.

Clerks summarized maintenance work: the asphalt program repaired 23 curb ramps and addressed trip hazards in two areas; the concrete program installed about 20 new ramps and repaired roughly 138 sidewalk panels in Ward 1 while performing concrete work.

A recurring issue during the discussion was coordination with neighboring Cottleville over Highway N. Clerks said O'Fallon applied for a 10-foot path along the city's section of Highway N and that the city is coordinating with Cottleville because Cottleville has asked about a wider cross section in some areas. "They're asking about 14," Clerks said of Cottleville's request; a committee member described Cottleville's 14-foot path as appearing "like a whole entire another lane down the side of the road." Clerks said O'Fallon generally will not build a 14-foot path and would likely transition from a wider section back to 10 feet where the city maintains the roadway. He noted the city now owns and maintains the shown section of Highway N following a prior I-70 project, and that preliminary design has county-design funding with construction likely two to three years out pending additional funding.

Clerks said the city is coordinating with developers on several growth-area projects (Strawberry Farm, Stonebridge/If rick Tract, Post Farm, Ellis Place) so private construction can help close gaps to the city's Mexico Road project; he added that developer-installed infrastructure is typically maintained by the city once accepted.

The committee did not take further formal action on the projects at the meeting; the chair said the topic could return for more detailed review when design or funding steps advance.

Next steps: staff will continue design work, pursue county and federal construction funding, and keep coordinating with Cottleville and nearby developers to align path widths and right-of-way prior to final construction decisions.